Tag: Autumn

I’m not going to lie, I’ve never been an autumn/winter person. I am easily dismayed by the onset of darker evenings, constant rain and waking up to a room as cold as the arctic circle. While cosy evenings and scented candles help my seasonal blues to an extent, I feel much more at ease in the summer, when the days are long, the weather is decent even in England and I can go outside without having to brace myself. Many people find this surprising as I lived in Russia for the first nine years of my life (hello -40 degree weather) and while I’ve retained many ‘Russian’ characteristics, my ability to withstand the cold has faded alongside the stereotypical accent.

However, the one thing I adore about autumn is the food. I’m talking everything pumpkin, cinnamon and roasted vegetables. You know that scene in Miranda when she lists all the things she loved about Christmas? Yep, that’s me when it comes to autumn. I had a lot of fun constructing these jars because their simplicity does not compromise that hint of seasonal flavour. As usual, the recipes are vegan friendly, healthy and packed with micronutrients. And of course, eating food from a jar does the trick of making your life that much more Pinterest-worthy. Well, in my case, I cannot make any other aspect of my life suitable for Pinterest except for food: I’ve been frantically reading style blogs to try and bring some coordination into my wardrobe, and the only plant I kept in my room withered away from neglect before I managed to miraculously revive it #almostRIP.

Anyway, while I created a ‘base’ for these jars (e.g. the curry and the tofu), feel free to switch up any of the vegetables and/or dressings, eating them either straight away or storing in the fridge overnight. Many of the ‘components’ can be cooked in bulk for meal-prepping purposes. I am a big fan of spices myself (and thoroughly believe Autumn is all about spices, whether that’s in candles or in edible things – unfortunately, those are mutually exclusive) but you can adjust the amounts in accordance with your own preferences. Before I can ramble on for 365 more words, let’s leap straight into the recipes:

Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Curry in a Jar

Hearty, warm and packed full of spices, this recipe just sings Autumn. Perfect for cold evenings and as a satisfying lunch. Served over a bed of rice and with leafy greens for an extra crunch.

Credit: whatismaria.com

Ingredients

1 cup (228g) butternut squash, chopped into small cubes

1 cup (228g) pumpkin of choice, chopped into small cubes

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 can (200ml) light coconut milk

1/2 can (227ml) canned tomatoes

1.5 cups (355ml) vegetable stock

1/2 cup (50g) green lentils

1 tsp mild curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp tomato paste

two large handfuls of kale

1/2 cup (85g) dry sushi rice, to serve

Raw zuccini and spinach, to serve

Directions

Heat either cooking spray or a dash of oil of your choice in a large pot. Add in the pepper, onion, butternut squash and pumpkin, stirring for 3-5 minutes on a medium heat.

Add in the vegetable stock, coconut milk, canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, lentils, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, nutritional yeast and tomato paste. Bring to the boil, before lowering the heat and simmering for 30-35 minutes until the butternut squash and pumpkin are cooked through. Add more water/vegetable stock and salt to taste if necessary. Meanwhile, cook the sushi rice according to instructions in a separate pot.

Add the kale into the curry and stir until wilted.

Assemble the jars: distribute the rice evenly between the jars, before topping with the curry, the raw zuccini and the spinach.

In my opinion, nothing can beat a stack of pancakes on Sunday morning. Or on any day of the week, at any time (midnight snack anyone?). Vegan pancakes is the sort of meal I could eat for the rest of my life and not get bored because ‘YUM’ is the only word that can accurately summarise them.

And I am not just being biased because I had to make these twice due to poor lighting earlier in the week: the struggles of trying to blog about food as it gets darker! My mum even said the unthinkable: ‘why don’t you just use artificial lighting?’ What a great idea: I love it when my food looks mustard-yellow rather than this lovely mixture of golden and blue and pink.

I brought apple sauce from my local health food store the other day (and five other things, when I only walked in with the intention of stocking up on protein powder) and founds it works wonders in creating the fluffiest, Autumn-inspired pancakes – and from this day onwards, all of my food has to have a hint of Autumn as a way of making myself embrace this season. Otherwise the Summer nostalgia will never go away.

These pancakes are super fluffy, vegan, low in fat (nothing wrong with fat at all, but I know some people prefer ‘lighter’ options) and that chocolate-cashew sauce should be on everyone’s bucket list. Not gonna lie, I ate most of it before the pancakes had finished cooking! Try it, and don’t forget to thank me later 😉

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the wet and dry pancake ingredients and set aside for around five minutes. Meanwhile, heat some cooking spray or coconut oil in a large frying pan – make sure it is nice and hot before you start making the pancakes.

Spoon mixture into pancakes shapes: make sure they are not too thin. I find that slightly under 1/4 cup of the pancake mix per pancake works best. Carefully flip when bubbles start to form on the surface and the edges are looking crispy.

To make the sauce, simply whisk together the cashew butter, cashew milk, agave nectar and cacao powder in a small bowl.